Why do icebreakers?
Icebreakers are simple, fun, quick activities that you can do at the beginning or end of a meeting to break tension, to set the mood, and to get everyone to relax. It’s so easy to be heads-down into our own work that sometimes, when we need something from a co-worker, they feel like an obstacle for us to surpass. This transactional nature of working together results in tensions, mistrust, and miscommunications. Icebreakers are a great way to get to know each other, share some laughs, and build trust and camaraderie within teams. They help players let down their guard and get to know each other, which results in better team-work in the long run. Icebreakers are great for all kinds of teams, but they’re even more important for remote teams since you can’t have those watercooler moments where you let down your guard and just chat. They’re simple and quick, but over time will help your team build the rapport that you need to become a better team.
EDIT: Now, with COVID-19, it’s more important than ever to break up the transactional nature of videochat meetings with icebreakers and fun discussions. We’ve added some COVID specific questions at the top of our icebreakers list.
Doing an icebreaker activity is super easy:
Step 1: Pick a question for the meeting. You might want to consider the team’s current culture, how much everyone knows each other, what kind of mood you want to set for the meeting (happy, reflective, grateful, connected), and how long you have for this icebreaker.
Step 2: Once everyone has signed on to the meeting, pose the question to everyone
Step 3: Go around the videochat/call and answer the question. This can be just one word, one sentence, or a long story. Make sure that no one is skipped.
Step 4: Continue with the meeting agenda
Our randomized giant list of 180+ icebreakers that are great for remote teams to get to know each other, improving communication, collaboration, team-work and more:
What do you miss the most during quarantine?
What’s a great resource that you’ve discovered/rediscovered since the pandemic started?
What’s one item that you haven’t touched since the pandemic started?
What good habits or learnings will you take out of your COVID-19 experience?
What is one skill/thing that you learned because of COVID-19?
What’s one thing that you’re proud to be doing more of since the quarantine started?
What’s one new and unique experience that you’ve had since quarantine started?
What’s the most fun you’ve had on videochat?
What features/functionalities do you wish you can add to videochats?
Show us something that is meaningful to you.
Name one website/app/thing you couldn’t get through quarantine without.
Name one person who’s gone above and beyond this past week.
Show us your fridge/pantry.
Show us your quarantine buddies: partners, babies, fur babies, plant babies, etc
Who is one person that you interact with more now than before the quarantine started?
What's an app on your phone that you never open or use?
Who is your go-to person (or people)?
If you had to identify one person who completely changed your life, who would it be?
What did you love doing as a child?
What would the title of your autobiography be?
What's on your bucket list?
What’s your secret skill that most people don’t know about?
If someone offered you $1 million for spending a year without the internet, could you do it? And how?
What’s your favorite cookie?
What’s a little known fact about yourself?
Tell us about your worst experience with receiving or giving feedback
What’s a pivotal experience in your life that completely changed you?
What's your favorite sandwich and why?
What's your guilty pleasure?
What's the most out of character thing that you've ever done?
What fictional world would you want to live in?
What's one book or movie or TV show that you've read/watched over and over?
Tell us about your first love
If you could travel to and live in any time period in history, where and when would you live?
Tell us about a recent place that you've traveled to and what you did there
What are you grateful for today?
What characteristics do you look for in friends?
Tell us about the most thoughtful present that you've ever gotten
What's your signature dish that you love to cook?
Find a picture that describes your mood today and tell us about it
What's your best experience with company culture?
Tell us about your morning routine
What's something that someone has said about you that has really stuck with you?
Tell us about your current city and the top three reasons why you love it there
Have you ever met a famous person? Who and tell us about it?
Do you volunteer? What do you do?
If you had an extra hour today to do anything you want to do, what would you do?
What's the most unforgettable thing you've ever done?
Show us where you’re working from today and tell us about it
What three things would you bring with you to a deserted island?
Tell us about a mentor that you had and how they made you feel
If you were a type of dessert, what would you be and why?
Tell us about an accomplishment that you're most proud of
What is a little known fact about yourself?
What's your favorite movie/TV show?
How many languages do you know and what are they?
What's a cause that you love?
Who would you want to be with you if you were stuck on a deserted island? And what would you do/talk about?
What's a tool or appliance that you can't live without?
What do you want to change in your life in 10 years?
If you had an unlimited airplane pass for a year, where would you go? what would you do? how would you plan?
What would your best friend say is the best thing about you?
Are you a dog person or a cat person and why?
Have you ever met your idol? Who are they and tell us about them?
What's one thing that you can do better than most other people?
What's one thing that you're kind of snobby about? Wine? Coffee? Books? Breakfast Foods?
If you can be anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?
If you were a cartoon character, who would you be?
What's a movie that you can watch a hundred times?
Who on your team do you think is the MVP this week?
Are you a morning lark, a night owl, or somewhere in between?
Tell us a story of a previous boss that you’ve had and what you learned from them
What's one thing that you wish you can change in your life?
Tell us about your best experience with giving or receiving feedback
What's the best piece of feedback that a colleague or mentor has given you?
If you had to eat only one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Who inspires you to be a better person?
Who on your team do you think is the MVP this year?
If you can learn anything, what would you learn?
Tell us about a terrible date that you've had
Tell us a story of a coworker who went above and beyond
What's the best piece of advice that anyone's ever given you?
What's your pet peeve?
Who inspires you? and Why?
If you had your own talkshow, who would your first guest be?
If you had a time machine, would you go back in time or into the future?
What's the movie that you've watched the most times?
What would your closest friends say is the worst thing about you?
What's a tradition that you have that might be different from others?
What are you doing on your dream vacation?
Show us one photo from your phone and tell us about it
What's a fact about yourself that would surprise your mom?
Tell us about a time where you felt like you belonged to a group, tell us about the group and why it was a great community
What super-hero power would you like?
Tell us about your bedtime routine
Tell us about your first job
What are three things that you can’t live without?
What's your favorite book/genre
Do you have a Zombie Apocolypse plan? What is it?
What problem would you try to solve if you had $1 billion?
What’s the most unforgettable day you’ve ever had?
What’s the one thing you’re most proud of?
What's a fear that you want to get over?
If you can commit any crime and get away with it, what would you do and why?
Tell us about a previous manager or supervisor that really supported you and how they did that
What's your spirit animal? Why?
Have you ever seen a ghost?
What's a fact about yourself that would surprise your best friend?
What's something about yourself that has changed in the past couple of years?
Tell us about a pet that you have or had
What’s your favorite animal?
Have you ever met someone who didn't seem to be that big of a deal and then you discover something completely mindblowing about them?
What actor/actress do you admire the most?
What's your favorite holiday or family tradition?
What’s your beverage of choice?
What's something that you would never throw away?
Who on your team do you think is the MVP this month?
What smell reminds you of home?
Where is your dream vacation?
If a movie was made of your life, what genre would it be and what would be the theme song?
Do ghosts exist?
Tell us about your home town and tell us three secrets or little known facts about it
What past failure have you learned from the most?
What brings you joy?
Are you a "plan everything ahead of time" person or a "go with the flow and whatever" kind of person?
What do you want to be doing in 10-20 years
Do aliens exist?
Who are you grateful for in your life?
Tell us about your worst fear
What did you want to do when you grew up (what was your childhood dream job)?
What makes your heart sing?
Who do you admire?
What book has influenced you and the way you think?
What smell reminds you of childhood?
What's one thing you've checked off on your bucket list?
What's one thing that you feel you know more about than most people?
If you can only use 5 apps on your phone, what would they be?
What’s one thing that you never thought you’d want to do?
What's your favorite Disney movie (or movie made for kids)?
What is your favorite game?
What's a hobby that you have?
If you were a color, what color would you be and why?
What do you want your legacy to be?
If you had the superhero ability to control time, what would you do?
What's a gadget or tool that has changed your life?
What's your favorite month and why?
What’s your favorite snack?
How would you spend your time if you never had to worry about money again?
If you were a magical or mythical animal, what would you be?
What's the strangest food that you've ever eaten?
What’s one nice thing that you can do for someone today?
What's your favorite item that you've bought this year?
What's one piece of clothing or jewelry that you can't live without
If your life were a hero's journey, who would be your antagonist and what's stopping you from winning?
What's your favorite dinosaur?
Tell us about a mentor and how have they helped you?
What's the worst job that you've ever had?
What would be the first thing that you buy when you won the lotto?
What are your personal values?
What was your most memorable experience in school?
What’s a joke that you’ve heard recently?
If you were an animal, what would you be?
If you can have an unlimited supply of one thing, what would it be?
What do you want to learn this year?
What’s the most unforgettable meal that you’ve ever had?
What’s your biggest regret in life?
What's your favorite movie?
If you can make yourself a super-hero name, what would it be?
What would you choose as your last meal?
What's a scientific breakthrough that you think has the most profound effect on your life?
If a zombie apocalypse occurred, what are the first three things you would do?
What's your worst experience with company culture?
What's one word that describes your mood right now?
Tell us about your siblings, if you have them.
What’s your favorite food?
Do you like your birth date? Why or why not?
What are three things on your bucket list?
What’s one injustice in the world that you want to eliminate?
If you were a season or holiday, what would you be?
What is something that you believe in that most people probably don't believe in?
Overwhelmed? Patchwork Adventures are designed to support remote teams in their team-building adventures. Send us a ping if you want some support.